Lawyers angry about TV station error

An apparent mistake by a local television station has several criminal defense attorneys scrambling to clear their names.

A KCBD report published to the Internet earlier this week suggested a number of defense attorneys, instead of their defendants, had been charged with misdemeanor crimes.

The mistake had several defense attorneys fuming.

“My name is everything to me, and every attorney’s name is everything to them,” said Laurie Key, one of the attorneys listed with false charges. “You Google my name and see that I’ve allegedly been charged with theft — not a very good thing.”

Requests for comment from KCBD were referred to the legal department of parent company Raycom Media.

Messages left with Raycom legal were not returned late Wednesday afternoon.

It was unclear what possible steps the attorneys might take, but Key said she hoped to know more within a couple of days.

County records for the same time period correctly listed defendants and their charges, as well as the names of their attorneys.

“Nobody likes to see their name in a situation like that at all,” said Charles Chambers, who was listed as having two erroneous charges against him. “They certainly need to do something to rectify the situation — more than just 'I’m sorry.’ ”

KCBD removed the list from its site, but Internet searches still turned up the incorrect charges against the attorneys.

Key said the error was especially damaging to attorneys with Web sites, who could have prospective clients misled by an Internet search.

“Think if you’re a parent in Dallas and my name has been given to you as somebody who might be capable of representing your son or daughter in something, and you Google my name and there you see that I’ve been charged with theft in the last couple weeks,” Key posited. “You’re certainly not gonna give me a call.”